Postmarking or canceling machine.



NO- 829,657. PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

N. A. KRAG & G. A. HANSEN. P'OSTMARKING 0R OA NGE'LING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

bro. 829,657.

I PATENTED AUG.28, 1906. N. A. KRAG & e. A. HANSEN.

' POSTMARKING 0R GANUELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

- following is a full, c ear, and exact descrip-v tion, reference beinghad to the accompany- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NILS AALL KRAG AND GUSTAVADOLF HANSEN, or CHRISTIANIA,

- NORWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1908.

Application filed June 22,- 1904. Serial No. 213.732.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, NILs AALL KRAG and GUSTAV ADOLF HANSEN, subjects ofthe King of Sweden and Norway, residing in the city of Christiania,Norway, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements inPostniarking or Cancelin Machines, of which the ing drawings, formingpart of this specification.

Our invention relates to postmarking or canceling machines of the kindin which the letters are run past a stamp-canceling and date-stam ingroller, whereby the stam s are canoe ed and the date stamped on t .eletters. l

The object of our invention is to provide with a canceling and stampingdevice serving for stamping the letters and the other roller, which islocated at a distance from the stam ing-roll about corresponding to thelengt of a letter, serving to feed the letters one by one to theaforesaid stamping-roller. With the stamping-roll cooperates a thirdroll serving for pressing the letters against the stampin -roll. Theletter-feed roll is'in the preferred form of carrying out the inventioncombined with a device for pressing the letters against the same;.butsuch devices may be omitted and the letters pressed against the same byhand. We also provide for a suitable piling device for the markedletters, said device being also of great importance for the perfectworking of the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a machineconstructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. '2 is across-sectional view of the same, taken about in the plane in which theletters pass through the machine; and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show details ofthe machine.

A designates the vertically-arranged stamp-' ing-roller, which may berotated in an suitable way-f0r instance, by aid of an e ectromotor orsome other suitable motor through larged scale in Fi an intermediategearing, (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.)

B designates a roller in contact with the stamping-roller, as shown inside View in Fig. 3, and the bearing-fork C of which is guided in aguide-slot D and is pressed toward the stamping-roller by a spring E.The rollers A and B are preferably so formed as only to stamping-rolleris also in contact with an inking-roller F, which may also be keptpressed against the same by aid of a s ring.

G designates the vertical y-arranged let tor-feed roller, which isdriven at substan tially the same speed as the stamping-roller andsuitably from the same source of power as this one, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 1. In front of the roller Gthere is placed a rollerG, which, as shown in Fig. 2, has the form of a disk or wheel and isloosely mounted on a vertical stud.

H is an incline on which the letters to be postmarked are placed. Theletters on this incline arekept pressed against the rollers G and G by aWeight-K, sliding on the incline alon a slot J, into which a guide-ribof-the weig t K is inserted. The incline H is ,on theside nearest to theletter-feed roller G, provided with a' rib'L. As indicated in Fig.

,4, the loWer ed e of the said rib L carries a (Shown in detail in env5.) This finger is pro vided with a shan m, which slides 'in bearings ZZ on the side of the rib L, said finger being resiliently held, so thatthe flanges of its groove will take over and under a horizontalrubber-coated rib O on the roller G, but Will not come in contacttherewith, as plainly shown in Fig. 4. This relation of the fingerandroller G is maintained when no letter is piassing between them bymeans of a spring which surrounds the shank, one end of the groovedfinger spring abutting against the bearing Z and the other end against acollar m on the shank. Said collar abutting against the bearing Zprevents the finger from further forwarfll movement and coming intodirect contact table R. This wall S is pressed against the with theroller. By the cooperation of the rib on the feed-roller and the flangeson the finger the letters are seized one by one and run rapidly betweenthe rollsAand B.

The device for piling up the postmarked letters comprises a feed-screw,rotated at a suitable speed, between the screw-blades P of which theletters are delivered from the stampingroller pair. Between the saidscrew and the said roller pair is arranged a vertical guide-plate Q, forthe purpose of insuring the proper feed of the letters into the screwdevice. Through the rotation of the screw the letters are pressedagainstamovable vertical plate S, guided in a slotl'l in a screw by theaction of a weight T, Fig. 2, running in a chain over a uide-roll.

The machine works in t e following way: The letters are placed betweenthe weight K and the rollers G G and are then rapidly and safely passedone by one between the postmarking-rollers A and B, from which they passinto the piling device and are piled up in a pile against the plate S,wherefrom they may at intervals be removed.

,We claim 1. A stamp-canceling and "postmarking machine comprising afeedway adapted to feed letters in a substantially vertical position ina direction transverse of their plane, an idle roller mounted at theend'of the feedway in the path of travel of the letters therein, apositively-driven feed-roller mounted in the path of the forward edgesof the letters in the feedway, and a longitudinally1movable.

finger normally held in close proximity to but out of contact with thefeed-roller.

2. In a stamp-canceling and postmarking machine, the combination with afeedway having a straight wall along which the letters are fed in asubstantially upright position in a direction transverse of the plane,of an idle roller mounted at the end of and in the path of travel of thelettersin the feedway, a positively-driven feed-roller mounted at theend of the forward wall of the feedway adapted to engage the edge of theforward letter and draw the same from the idle roller at right angles tothe path of travel in the feedway and a resiliently-mounted fingeradapted to hold said letter in contact with the feed-roller and capableof a motion to and fro the roller to suit the different thickness of theletters.

3. In combination with a downwardly-inclined feed-trough, twocooperating engaging members mounted at the lower end of the same, oneof said members provided with a flange adapted to engage a letter"delivered thereto and the other member provided with a groove adapted totakeover said flange.

4. In combination with a downwardly-inclined feed-trough, 'agravity-operated weight slidable therein, two cooperating engagingmembers mounted at the lower end of the trough, one of said membersprovided with a flange adapted to engage a letter delivered. thereto andthe other member provided with a groove adapted to take over saidflange.

5. In a stamp-canceling and postmarking machine, the combination with afeedway, of an idle roller, a positively-driven feed-roller having aflange centrally formed thereon, and a sprin -actuated finger mounted onthe forward will of the-feedway and provided with a recess adapted totake over said flange, substantially as and for the purpose specified.6. In a stamp-canceling and pos'tmarking machine, the combination of agravity-operated feeding element, an idle roller,'a positively-drivenroller having a flange formed thereon, and a cooperating element havinga recessed end portion adapted to take over said flange, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified In witness whereof we have hereunto setour hands in presence of two witnesses.

NILS AALL KRAG. GUSTAV ADOLF HANSEN. Witnesses:

HENRY BoRoEwIoH, MICHAEL AL ER;

